Key-socket.



v .H. HUBBELL.

KEY socxn'm APPLICATION 211.111) .nnm'ri, 1911. 1 ,048, 1 67. a

ZTTORIVEY Patented Dec1'24, 1912. Y

HARVEY HUBBELL, or BRIDGEPOR'I, CONNECTICUT.

KEY-SOCKET.

Specification of. Letters Patent. Patented Dec 24;, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY HUBBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of 'Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Key-Sockets, of-whichthe following is a specification.

.This invention'has foriits object to'improve the construction and'operation of electrio switches, particularly snap switches employed in connection with lamp. socketsand the like, and especially to provide a socket switch of simple construction capable of controlling a current of much higher potential than can be controlled by similar devices as heretofore constructed without materially increasing the spacing of the parts or the size of the'socket. Theseand other objects of the invention, together with means whereby the same may be carried into effect, will best be understood from the following descript-ion of one form or embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood however that the construction described and shown has been chosen for illustrative purposes merelyand that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

In said drawings: Figure l is apart side View and part loi-igitudinal section of a lamp socket constructed in accordance with the invention.- Fig. 2 is a sectionon the line 2-2'of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a'plan view of the upper face ofthe bottom insulating block and the parts carried thereby. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the spring plate constituting the circuit closer or switch member. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a plan view looking from the bottom in Fig. 1, the yoke piece and binding post connected therewith being omitted. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the combined binding post and yoke piece.

' 12- and 13 denote, respectively, top and bottom insulating blocks havingin thelr adjacent faces complementary grooves 140 in which is journaled a shaft 14' rovided with a key 15. Said insulating bloc s are secured together by means of bolts 16.

. 17 denotes .a screw shell and 18' a yoke piece which, in the construction shown, has formed integraltherewith a binding post 19 provided with a binding screw 20. 'The screw shell 17 and yoke nected with each other and attachedto the piece 18 are con- Application filed June 1-7, 1911. Serial No. 633,852.

bottom insulating block 13 by. means of the bolts 16 connecting the insulating blocks 12- and 13. p

21 denotes acontact plateyattached to the upper face-of the insulating block 13 by. meansof a screw" 22 and which,'in the con' .struction shown has formed integral therewith a binding post 23 provided with abind ing screw 2-1. 25 denotes-a second contact plate also attached to the upper face-of-the insulating block 13 by means of'a'screw- 26.

Contact p1ates21 and 25 are preferably received 1n suitably-shaped recesses formedin said block 13.

In order to close the clrcuit through contact plates 21 and 25 there is provided a switch-member comprising a spring plate 28 secured, as by bolt 29, to bottom insulating block 13 and adapted at its free end to en-;

. 7Q 2,7 denotes the center spring contact which 'is secured to the lower face of insulating I block 13' and connected with contact plate 25 by-means of the screw 26 which also secures said plate-25 to-said block1-3.

gage contact plates 21 and 25. Said free end of the plate 28 is bifurcated to. form two.

contact arms or fingers 3O lying on oppositesides of an insulating barrier 31 located between contact plates 21 and 25 and preferably comprlsing an integral lug or flange 4 projectingfrom"insulating block13. --When the fingers 30 of spring plate 28 are in engagement with contact plates 21 and the circuit between center contact 27 and bind: ing -post 23 is completed. When, however, spring plate 28 is permitted to rise to carry its fingers 30simultaneously out of engagement with the contact plates 21 and 25 there results a double break in thecircuit, that is tosay, between one of the fingers 30 and the plate 21 and between the other finger 30 and the plate 25. This double break, taken in connection with the insulating barrier 31 j which'eifectually separates the plates. 21 and 25, makes it possible to open a circuit carryinga current of much higher potentialwith the same degree of separation of the plates than is possible where such separation re;

sults in a single break in the circuit only. In other words, with the improved-construction of switch it is possible toemploy, for a current of given potentialga switch having a much more compact arrangement of parts than has heretofore been possible.

The springplate28 is, normally raised, or in the position shown in'full lines in Fig. 2,

to open the circuit.

plates 21 and 25 respectively, and close the circuit, there is provided a snap cam 32' loosely mounted on the shaft Hand having a recess 33 in which are loosely received lugs 34 projecting from said shaft 14. In order to accommodate the cam 32 the insulating blocks are provided with a recess 35 from the walls of which said cam is spaced by means of washers 36. 6

Having thus described my invention I claim: I

1. A snap switch of the character described comprising an insulating block provided with a recess, a center contact, a screw for securing said center contact in position, spaced apart contacts located in said recess, one of said. contacts being secured in position by said screw, an insulating barrier being interposed between said spaced apart contacts, a spring plate secured to said block and provided with a bifurcated end straddling said barrier, and means for moving said spring into engagement with said spaced apart contacts.

2. A snap switch of the character described comprising an insulating block provided with a radially arranged recess having a lateral branch, a center contact, a screw for securing said center contact in position, a contact in said recess and secured in position by said screw, a contact in the branch ofsaid recess and spaced apart-from the last mentioned recess, an insulating barrier being interposed between said spaced apart contacts, a spring plate secured to said block and provided wlth a bifurcated end straddling said barrier, and means for moving In order to depress said f plate into the position shown in dotted lines 1 the fingers 30s'i1nultanesaid spring into engagement with said spaced apart contacts.

3. A snap switch of the character described comprising an insulating block provided with a recess, a center contact, a screw for securing said center contact in position, spaced apart contacts located in said recess, one of said contacts being secured in position by said screw, an insulating barrier being interposed between said spaced apart contacts, a spring plate secured to said block and provided with a bifurcated end straddling said barrier, the other end of said spring being bent under to form a lip, a securing screw engaging said lip, and means for moving said spring into engagement with said spaced apart contacts.

4. A snap switch of the character described comprising an insulating block formed in two parts, one of said parts being provided with a recess, acenter contact, a screw for securing said center contact in position, spaced apart contacts located in said recess, one of said contacts being secured in position by said screw, an insulating barrier being interposed between said spaced apart contacts, a swing plate secured to said block and provided with a bifurcated end straddling said barrier, means for moving said spring into engagement -with said spaced apartcontacts, a'yoke piece, screws uniting theparts of said insulating block and also securing said yoke piece in position, and a screw shell clamped between said yoke piece and said-block.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARVEY HUBBELL. Witnesses:

-ARTIIUR WV. CALVERT,

S. \V. ATHERTON.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

